Casual Runners-up The Cool Cat Proving something other than just a faddish flash in the fire, The Cool Cat has caught the zeitgeist by the horns and come to represent the hip Powiśle style; casual and convivial and absent of aloofness, it’s a place in which all life seems to... Read more

Modern Polish Runners-up Bistro Pod Sowami Talk of Praga’s revival feels a bit more serious now that Bistro Pod Sowami has opened. From the outside, this corner tenement is a study in neo-gothic indulgence. On the inside, the muted elegance is perfectly partnered by the cooking of Damian Wajda.... Read more

Key figures from the city’s food and drinks sector converged on the Sofitel on Thursday evening for the13th annual edition of the Warsaw Insider’s prestigious Best of Warsaw Awards. Firmly established as one of the social highlights of the year, the principle categories were once more decided by an... Read more

Robert Mielżyński Remember, at the start of the millennium, those times when Warsaw was more whine and dine than wine and dine. That changed in 2004 with the launch of the Mielżyński Wine Bar: a viticultural revolution was born. Where wine was once viewed as something to be drunk... Read more

Aromat When French expats tell you that this is their bread stop of choice, you take note and listen. Sourcing their flour from a small French mill, the mother/son duo behind Aromat have shown the city the future of baking. Read more

Focaccia The Insider’s visit went something like this: wrist-thick octopus with an arc of yellow mousse, beef tenderloin alongside a glistening pool of madeira sauce and then an orange ice cream with caramel and ginger that soon merged into a big gooey brew of chocolatey mess. The only surprise... Read more

Le Cedre It’s the new restaurants that tend to net the glory, so Le Cedre get a hat tip for making this category their own. Was the result ever in doubt? In business for 18 years, it remains the natural choice for the sparky tastes of Lebanon. Their younger... Read more

Forteca There’s no shortage of restaurateurs picking their way through the crates of muddy greens in Forteca, a one-time Tsarist bastion since turned into a famers’ market. The vendors are regarded as the best in their genre and given reverential treatment by their customers. Read more

Opasły Tom This is what you want from a dining room: sneaked off a lively street, guests duck down into a chain of two narrow-ish chambers that, whilst not exactly casual, feel comfortable and familiar. Its limited size helps this, but other factors do as well: having shown us... Read more

Witek Iwański (Aruana) Seen as the golden boy of Polish cooking, Witek Iwański has been causing ripples ever since he was named as Magazyn Kuchnia’s ‘Discovery of the Year’ in 2013. Further accolades have come thick and fast, and have included the prestigious Prix au Chef de L’Avenir awarded... Read more